By Michel Marc Bouchard. Translated by Linda Gaboriau. Directed by Vanessa Porteous. Until Sept. 21 at the Studio Theatre. stratfordfestival.ca or 1-800-567-1600

STRATFORD—The age-old struggle between style and substance is getting a thorough workout at the Studio Theatre where Christina, The Girl King opened on Thursday afternoon.

Let’s clearly say up front that one couldn’t ask for a smarter, more elegant production than the one director Vanessa Porteous and her designers (Michael Gianfrancesco, sets and costumes; Kimberly Purtell, lighting; and Alexander MacSween, music and sound) have provided.

And the Stratford acting company continues to impress with its depth and variety at every turn.

But the play by Michel Marc Bouchard, translated by Linda Gaboriau, is another matter. Inspired by the true story of Sweden’s 17th-century Queen Christina, who ultimately gave up her throne rather than marry a man, it has given Bouchard, and consequently us, too much food for thought.

Is it the story of a woman trying to come to terms with her passion for a same-sex relationship? Is it the saga of royalty trying to fight the battle between responsibility and romance? Is it a parable about the struggle between Catholicism and Protestantism throughout history? Or is it a philosophical discourse on the nature of Cartesian dualism, with René Descartes there in person to lead the debate?

I know that sounds like a lot of options, but all of them are on the table and there are times when it’s hard to determine what the play is about. What begins as an exhilarating intellectual challenge morphs into a somewhat exhausting metaphysical soccer game by Act II.

Generally, the writing is most solid and the actors seem on steady ground when the script keeps to personal relationships.

From the moment that Brigit Wilson’s achingly melancholy Duchess starts to paint a picture of life in Christina’s court, we know where we are.

When Jenny Young’s Queen Christina strides onto the stage, with her seemingly masculine assurance hiding a woman who is profoundly conflicted about which way her heart and body want to go, we understand her totally.

Allow Patricia Collins a wonderfully demonic turn as the most evil Queen Mother in existence and you begin to comprehend the complexity of the duplicitous world that surrounds our heroine.

Finally, add the luminous Claire Lautier as Countess Ebba Sparre, the woman who wins Christina’s heart and nearly brings down the kingdom, and the stage is set for some heart-rending drama, including an Act I curtain that manages to be profoundly erotic and deeply romantic at the same time.

There’s also some wonderful work from the men in the company, like Graham Abbey as the thick-headed Count Johan, who tries to butch his way into Christina’s heart with hilarious results; Rylan Wilkie as the sweetly ineffectual Karl Gustav, who loves and loses but ultimately wins, and Wayne Best as a Chancellor who keeps backing the wrong horse at every turn.

Porteous’s staging is crystal clear and brilliantly striking throughout, with images you will never forget. I found myself enthralled more often than not by what I was seeing on the stage.

But if the play’s the thing, I have to mark it up as a good, but not great, experience. A superb production of a flawed script, but well worth your time.

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